The CEO of the Smugglers Alliance, Tarvonie Northwind, turned up dead this week inside a derelict cruiser just inside the boundaries of Dufilvian space. Long considered to a rival to the Eidola-sponsored Smugglers Guild, the Alliance had defied Eidola control of the Outer Rim by aligning itself with the Galactic Alliance, whose own numerous losses to Eidola have been well-documented.

After forging ahead with his alliance with the enemies of Eidola, Tarvonie was believed to have greatly improved security at the Smugglers Alliance for fear of reprisal attacks; warehouses were secured, guards were placed at important facilities, and the locations of its high command were kept a closely-guarded secret that even individual smugglers were not allowed to access.

Tarvonie is believed to have spent much of his life locked within a sterile environment, cowering and ordering new padlocks to secure his outer doors as paranoia about the dread pirates coming for vengeance became embedded in his mind. Last week, a sharp beam of refracted electromagnetic radiation is believed to have become embedded in his mind, after an Eidola chase ended with Tarvonie finding himself trapped aboard a hostile ship along with Eidola veteran, Bruce Spear.

Although Spear is known to suffer from a long struggle with Ryll addiction, it is not known if the Smugglers Alliance chief was carrying any illicit drugs aboard his ship at the time. Galactic News reporters are still trying to piece together exactly how the Falleen Federation, government of Dufilvian space, works into the death of a nationalised leader and whether hunting privileges were granted accidentally or through deliberate malice.